Document sans titre
In Europe, the number
of “oldest old” ages 80 or older is projected to grow 180% by the year 2050
(The
State of Ageing and Health in Europe, 2006). Statisticians in Canada project
that by the year 2056, one in 10 Canadians will be 80 years and older (Statistics
Canada, 2005). In the US, the population of people ages 85 and older is
expected to more than triple to 19 million by 2050 (US
Census Bureau, 2008).
The authors of a new study
observed that evidence points to a decrease in disability among the oldest-old,
but there is concern that the number of people in this age group could grow
so large that many will require support systems, which would strain available
resources.
PROCEDURE: The Danish birth
cohort of 1905 was contacted in 1998 and 2,262 people participated in four assessments
through 2005. The age range was 92-100 years. Independence was defined as no
need for assistance in activities of daily living and a score of 23 or higher
on the MiniMental State Examination.
FINDINGS: When the whole
group, including those who had died or did not respond, was analyzed, there
was “only a modest decline” in independence among individuals between the ages
of 92 and 100 years. When analysis included only the 166 people who were still
living in 2005, 70% functioned independently in 1998 at age 92, but 33% functioned
independently in 2005 when they were 100 years old.
CONCLUSION: The authors
suggested that the healthiest people lived to 100. “Nonagenarians have a high
risk of losing independence, but the prevalence of independence still declines
only very modestly from age 92 to 100 years, suggesting little societal care
cost is associated with the extension of lifespan at the highest ages. The reason
for this discrepancy is the high rate of mortality among the most disabled at
any given time.”
SOURCE:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Source : www.icaa.cc
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